Partners

HBO Documentary Films and the Institute of Medicine in association with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the National Institutes of Health, the Michael & Susan Dell Foundation and Kaiser Permanente present “The Weight of the Nation”.

Institute of Medicine of The National Academies

The Institute of Medicine (IOM) is an independent, nonprofit organization that works outside of government to provide unbiased and authoritative advice to decision makers and the public. The IOM asks and answers the nation’s most pressing questions about health and health care.

Established in 1970, the IOM is the health arm of the National Academy of Sciences, which was chartered under President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. Nearly 150 years later, the National Academy of Sciences has expanded into what is collectively known as the National Academies, which comprises the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, the National Research Council, and the IOM.

The IOM has a long history of examining the nation’s nutritional well-being and providing sound information about food and nutrition to help consumers make the best choices about what they eat. From in-depth studies on how to prevent obesity in children, to policy recommendations aimed at assisting local governments in their obesity efforts, and from recommendations on nutrition standards for school meals, to explorations of weight gain during pregnancy and breastfeeding, the IOM has tackled the growing problem of obesity in a variety of ways. Health care professionals and policy makers, including federal officials who lead nutrition programs, as well as the food industry, rely on this guidance from the IOM.

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

CDC works 24/7 keeping America safe from health, safety and security threats,
both foreign and domestic. Whether diseases start at home or abroad, are chronic
or acute, curable or preventable, human error or deliberate attack, CDC fights
it and supports communities and citizens to prevent it. CDC is the nation’s
health protection agency - saving lives, protecting people from health threats,
and saving money through prevention.

National Institutes of Health

The National Institutes of Health (NIH. . . Turning Discovery Into Health), under the U.S. Dept. of Health and Human Services, is the lead U.S. agency for medical research. NIH includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is the primary federal agency conducting and supporting basic, clinical, and translational medical research, and is investigating the causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For more information about NIH and its programs, visit www.nih.gov. For information on participating in clinical research, visit NIH Clinical Research Trials and You.

Michael & Susan Dell Foundation

The Michael & Susan Dell Foundation is dedicated to improving the lives of
children living in urban poverty around the world. With offices in Austin,
TX and New Delhi, India, and Cape Town, South Africa, the Dell family
foundation funds programs that foster high-quality public education and
childhood health, and improve the economic stability of families living in
poverty. The foundation has committed more than $825 million to global
children’s issues and community initiatives to date.

Kaiser Permanente

Kaiser Permanente brings together its clinical expertise, research capabilities
and community engagement efforts to combat childhood obesity and to improve the
health of its members and the communities it serves. The organization’s Community
Health Initiatives for Healthy Eating Active Living support more than 40 place-based
obesity prevention collaboratives, which work with community residents, non-profit
organizations and government agencies to increase access to healthy food and opportunities
for physical activity in schools, neighborhoods and workplaces. In 2009, Kaiser Permanente
received the Pioneering Innovation award from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention for its groundbreaking obesity prevention efforts. As the nation’s largest
integrated delivery system, the organization pioneered efforts such as BMI and exercise as
Vital Signs, which have become standards of practice in the health care sector. Every Body
Walk!, a public awareness campaign powered by Kaiser Permanente, aims to get people walking
30 minutes a day, five days a week to improve their overall health. For more information,
visit http://bit.ly/kptwotn.